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Eddie the Penguin
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Eddie the Penguin Saves the World!
The children of Pre-Prep worked together to make a wonderful production called Eddie the Penguin Saves the World! The play is about a penguin named Eddie who realises that the ice is melting because the world is getting warmer, so he and his family travel across the globe teaching the humans a variety of lessons to help them protect the planet. They meet polar bears, lumberjacks, school children, the Australian Prime Minister, a DJ, and more. It's quite the adventure! After the success of their production, the children were able to reflect on what made it so valuable. They felt that the most important skills they learned were to work as a team, to be confident, to be brave, to try your best, to be resilient and to sparkle and shine! They also felt that the play taught them lots about looking after their world, an especially poignant lesson in today’s climate.
Mr Wells was particularly impressed with the children’s performance. He said, “Having thoroughly enjoyed the children’s Nativity performance prior to Christmas, what a delight it was to see such progression in our youngest children in such a short space of time. Their poise, confidence and fabulous delivery brought smiles from everyone. The children’s fantastic work not only underlines the importance performance plays in our children’s overall development but also the impact that the reduction or absence of such opportunities through Covid has had on our youngest children. That the children are performing so comfortably and successfully is testament to their resilience, their efforts and those of their teachers and parents.”
At the end of the Whitsun term, Year 4 departed for their overnight camp. They had a fantastic time camping out at Fircrest campsite in Priddy. Pizza picnics were followed by toasting marshmallows on the fire and outstanding teamwork (and resilience!) to put up tents with help from Mr Elks. The children were so at home in the great outdoors and there were smiles all round. This was a big step for the children and for some of them it was their first night away from home, and we are so proud of them!
Egyptian Discoveries!
In the Whitsun term, pupils in the Junior School travelled thousands of years back in time to learn about Ancient Egypt. As well as developing their understanding of chronology and conducting historical inquiry, pupils completed two design projects. For their first project, they created Tutankhamun-inspired death masks, which were then decorated beautifully. After learning all about the mummification process, (and mummifying some tomatoes along the way!), fantastic canopic jars were made using papier-mâché and acrylic paints. To finish off this topic, pupils took part in a fantastic, full-day workshop run by Historic Workshops which really brought their learning to life. The children had an amazing time learning how to use real reed pens to scribe on papyrus, the art of embalming, building an Egyptian city on the computer, handling artefacts and playing Egyptian games.
Congratulations to Belinda (Year 6) who won the U11 category of the Shepton Snowdrop Festival Poetry Competition with her poem The Willow Tree, and to Freya (Year 6) whose poem Winter Walk was awarded Highly Commended.
The Shepton Snowdrop Festival Poetry Competition is an annual, international competition, where poets, young and old, are encouraged to pen a poem based on a given theme. This year’s theme, Hope in Nature, focused on the power of nature, its reawakening, and the hope it brings. There were almost 600 entries from all around the world, some as far as New Zealand and Australia.
Belinda and Freya attended the prize giving ceremony in Shepton Mallet in February, where they read their poems out with the other finalists and gave feedback on their work. Their poems will form part of a poetry booklet to commemorate the event, and Belinda has also won £50 in prize money!
Art Visits
Junior pupils have been improving their artistic skills with the help of some visitors. Mary-Ann Wills, a local artist and teacher, taught techniques based on Jasper Johns’ Number paintings. Kath Hadden, an artist from Exeter, taught Year 3 how to paint a seascape using acrylic paint on canvas.
Year 6 Sevington School Trip
History came to life when our three Year 6 classes visited Sevington Victorian School in Chippenham. Pupils experienced a day in the life of a Victorian school child. Activities such as making lavender bags and wax candles enriched the usual mundane study of the ‘three Rs’ in the school room. Whilst the boys kept themselves busy in the garden, the girls learnt domestic duties such as cleaning the brass and doing the washing!
Henry in Year 4 has received a Blue Peter Music Badge (designed by Ed Sheeran) for demonstrating what music means to him. He shared his experiences of playing in our percussion ensemble and orchestra as well as a recording of him playing the drums solo.
